Pipes
by bananannabeth
Summary: Jason falls in love with a girl that could definitely kick his butt. / Punk!Piper and Preppy!Jason.


The first time he sees her Jason almost walks into a pole because he's too busy watching her to watch where he's going. The only thing that saves him is Annabeth grabbing his arm at the last minute and yanking him sideways. The shock clears his head a little bit.

"Are you okay?" Annabeth asks, one eyebrow raised.

Jason just shakes his head and watches the girl with the undercut and braids saunter away in the opposite direction. He is far from okay.

He can't get her out of his head, but he thinks he's never going to see her again. How could he find her? Campus is massive and they obviously run in completely different circles.

And anyway, what would a girl like that - a girl with choppy hair and a leather jacket and combat boots, ripped tights and a flannel shirt tied around her waist - want with a guy like him? Jason wears glasses and sweaters over collared shirts, he neatly styles his hair and wouldn't dream of wearing that much black at once. He'd never understood his sister's fashion sense, but on this girl it seems different - effortless. Maybe the difference is that his sister tries too hard to look like she doesn't care, whereas this girl genuinely just _doesn't._

Don't ask him how he knows that from a glance. Something about the way she carries herself.

He doesn't see her again for a couple of weeks. But then Annabeth drags him to this open mic night at the bar just across the road from campus, because the guy she likes is performing and she needs him to be her wingman. Jason has no clue how he's meant to help her get with Percy, because from what he's heard they don't really have any common interests to bond over. But Jason is a loyal friend, so he goes anyway.

He dresses down, just a t-shirt and jeans, and Annabeth is perched delicately on the edge of a bar stool across from him and half way through a story about Percy when Jason spots her. She's standing up by the stage, laughing with a guy with messy dark hair and ripped jeans. Jason's stomach sinks and he scowls, because _of course_ she'd be with a guy like that. What did he really expect?

But then the guy turns and looks right at Jason. His eyes slide instantly over to Annabeth, and a wide smile splits his face. He looks much less intimidating when he smiles. He gestures for the girl to follow and makes a beeline right for their table.

"Percy!" Annabeth squeals, pouncing on him as soon as he's within hugging distance.

"Hey, you came!" he says brightly, leaving one hand on the small of her back when they part.

"Yeah, of course," Annabeth says, smiling shyly. Her eyes widen as she glances up at Jason. "Oh, and this is my friend Jason! Jason, Percy. And -"

She's turned to the beautiful girl, who smiles and introduces herself, "Piper."

Jason slides off the bar stool and extends a hand to her. She smirks as she shakes it.

"Piper," he repeats, smiling around the syllables. "I'm Jason."

Her eyes flicker across his face, and he can't quite decide what colour they are. When she smiles his stomach flips, and he must be grinning like a total dork because he hears Annabeth snicker beside him. Or maybe she's just flirting with Percy. Jason doesn't care, because Piper is biting her lip and looking at him with the most incredible eyes he's ever seen and if she could just look at him like that forever, he thinks, he would be happy.

When she reaches up to his face, for one heart stopping minute he think she's going to kiss him. She doesn't. She straightens his glasses and he feels a faint electric current bridging the gap between her fingers and his skin. "Nice glasses."

He's so flustered that he doesn't even get a chance to reply before Percy's pulling Piper back up to the stage for soundcheck.

When she finally gets up on the stage and starts to sing, accompanied by Percy on the guitar, Jason knows that he's a goner. He doesn't usually like this type of music - punk rock? pop punk? a bit of both? he's not sure what it is, really - but Piper's voice is the most enchanting thing he's ever heard, and he stares at her in awe for the entire time she's on stage. When she sings a particularly emotional line in their encore her voice is so raw that it cracks and Jason feels the reverberations in his very heart.

He tries to tell her so after the set, but all he manages is, "You have an amazing voice. When you - when you screamed in that last song? That was - wow."

Jason silently curses himself for his inarticulation, but maybe he hasn't entirely stuffed this up, because Piper just smiles wickedly.

"Wanna hear me scream some more?"


End file.
